“Today, it was different”: Christopher Bell reacts after winning Kansas pole for Round of 12 opener 

Consecutively for the third time, Christopher Bell secured the pole position in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway. Clocking a speed of 179.336 mph, Bell placed his Joe Gibbs Racing car at the forefront for Sunday's race. While talking to NBC Sports, he acknowledged the exceptional performance of his Camry and the efforts of his team, remarking that this was likely the best Kansas race he had ever had.

Christopher Bell will head into the Hollywood Casino 400 with an average finish of 14.1 over nine Cup Series starts at Kansas Speedway since 2020. Although he has only finished in the top-5 twice and in the top-10 six times, Bell has captured four pole positions on the track. His strongest showing at Kansas was in September 2022, when he finished third after starting fourth.

Reflecting on the distinctions in his car's performance this time around during qualifying, Bell commented:

"It's the people that work on this race car that made the statement. And today we showed up with probably our best Kansas car we've ever had. It's always been a great track for us to qualify at. And it seems like when we go race, we're always like that third to seveth range. And today it felt really, really good in practice. I felt really comfortable driving the car. And then we were able to duplicate, duplicate the qualifying balance."

However, during the media session before the race, the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing driver acknowledged the complexities of Kansas Speedway. He explained that while the high line of the track is fast, the balance of the car shifts quite a lot during a run, necessitating drivers to adapt their lines rather than committing solely to the top. Bell noted that the track's characteristics somewhat contrast with those of Homestead.

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Former NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer chooses Christopher Bell over Kyle Larson

Kyle Larson, with five victories this season and one fewer start due to his attempt to compete in both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, has firmly positioned himself as a favorite. Despite widespread expectations following his 2021 championship victory that 2024 might be his year again, Clint Bowyer believes Christopher Bell has a stronger chance of winning the championship.

In a discussion with Shannon Spake on NASCAR, Bowyer shared his thoughts:

"Of course, you have the five-ball in Kyle Larson… Christopher Bell is very quiet. We all know that. Quiet interviews, quiet on the racetrack, quietly gets those results, quietly in the championship, 4 almost every time you look over your shoulder. That being said, I said at the beginning of the year it’s Christopher Bell’s year." [at 8:30]

"He’s gonna quietly win the championship and everybody is going to go, where the hell did that come from? […] I think this time Christopher Bell gets it done," he elaborated.

Bell has secured three victories so far in the 2024 Cup series—all during the regular season—and is currently second in the playoff standings, with a 24-point lead over the elimination line.